Thinking AI, Theologically

This misuse of AI—a substitute for human thought and creative response—is a deeply theological problem because it compromises the very image of God that humans have been called to steward. In Gen 2:18, we read that God is curious to see what the human thinks, does, and creates. I’ve had some people get uncomfortable when I bring up this textual fact—that God might be surprised and delighted by our creativity and ingenuity. But there it is: humans have been called to imagine, dream, speak, and create as the God that made us does. The challenge our current moment with AI asks if we are also curious as to what humans think, do, and create?

As a teacher, I’ve had firsthand engagement with damage from students misusing AI. Sometimes, students outsource their opinions and decisions to a LLM that “gives them answers” rather than try out their own responses to questions and problems. Here’s the interesting thing: I rarely detect AI because it sounds “better” than my students’ own work; it’s because it’s bland and while maybe okay, never great.I want my students to pursue rather than mistrust their own questions and ideas.

Is there hope for the future?

I have not jumped on the “AI will take over and destroy the human race” bandwagon. I’m hopeful, because I believe that our image—that of God—desires and yearns not only for the genuine but for excellent. In Gen 1, we read that God makes things that are very good and critically evaluates them as such. While AI might be able to generate text and art that initially appears or reads passably, it will never deliver on a mass scale the human craving for truly great things. Like a thirsty sailor on a sea of salt water, AI generated writing and art may at times look good, but it will not satisfy our native human thirst for witnessing human thought and emotion in word and image.

One of my favorite books A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles follows a character who watches the saga of communism and dictatorship unfold in 20^th century Russia. He laments to another character that he fears that all the truly great things are disappearing, being destroyed. His friend replies that strangely and wonderfully, truly great things have a way of remaining. I resonate with this sentiment.

What’s the solution?

This might sound strange, but we must get comfortable with things not being good at first so that they can become excellent eventually. AI puts out a lot of mediocre material. And let’s face it. Humans, when they begin to create, are just…bad! AI tempts us to skip that initial rough beginning stage of “bad” and go straight to “okay.” But we will never get to “excellent”—to God’s pronouncement of “very good”—and to genuine self-expression by skipping the stages of trial and error, writing and revision, attempt and failure.

Of course there are practical questions on this topic, such as using AI as a tool in doing the good creative work. Yes, it is complicated. In this moment of our wrestling with such complicated issues around AI and our humanity, I wonder ifGod isn’t still watching us to see what we might do?